Find out about the International Symposium scientific program, created by leading international obstetrics and gynecology professionals to educate and inspire delegates.
Hear more about the program from Co-Chair Dr Denise Pugash
Co-chairs:
Country: Canada
Field: Obstetrics
Specialties: Fetal anomaly T1 & T2; fetal biometry and wellbeing; aneuploidies; fetal anomalies; multiple pregnancy; prenatal screening and diagnosis
Language: English
International Symposium Advisory Group:
Subspecialist Trainee in Reproductive Medicine, Southampton, UK
Nominations Committee
Prof. Jon Hyett trained in obstetrics and gynecology and sub-specialised in maternal and fetal medicine in the UK. He is currently Joint Head of the Discipline of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Neonataology at the University of Sydney. He is involved nationally with the Nuchal Translucency Accreditation Program of RANZCR / RANZCOG and internationally with the obstetric ultrasound accreditation programs run by the Fetal Medicine Foundation, UK and ISUOG. Jon is also involved in the Scientific Committee, which oversees the production and development of the scientific program for the ISUOG World Congress.
Country: Australia
Field: Obstetrics
Specialties: Fetal anomaly screening T1 & T2; fetal biometry and wellbeing; aneuploidies; fetal anomalies; fetal heart; fetal brain; fetal growth restriction; maternal and fetal Doppler; fetal interventional procedures; multiple pregnancy; preeclampsia; preterm delivery; genetics
Language: English
Dr Simon Meagher is a consultant sonologist in the Perinatal Department at Mercy Hospital for Women in Melbourne and Medical Director of Monash Ultrasound for Women, where he leads a multidisciplinary team of around 50 sonologists, sonographers, genetic counsellors, phlebotomists and administrative staff delivering tertiary-level ultrasound services across south-eastern Melbourne.
He currently serves as a Trustee of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG), contributing to the governance and strategic direction of the Society alongside his role on its Board.
Over more than 30 years in this role, he has made a substantial contribution to education and training in obstetric and gynaecological ultrasound, both in Australia and internationally, delivering over 800 lectures across 43 cities in 17 countries. In 2015, the Australasian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine (ASUM) named him Sonologist of the Year, recognising his teaching, his commitment to hands-on clinical training at Mercy Hospital for Women, and his long service to the Society.
His clinical research centres on early-pregnancy ultrasound, fetal development and prenatal imaging. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and described five original sonographic fetal markers used in the first and second trimesters, and his current research interests include embryonic development between seven and ten weeks' gestation and advances in prenatal ultrasound assessment.
Dr Meagher has held a number of leadership roles across his career, including Chair of ASUM's Standards of Practice Committee, examiner and Executive Board member for the Diploma of Diagnostic Ultrasound, member of ASUM Council, and Chair of the Victorian Obstetric Sonologists Group, alongside contributions to several committees and subcommittees of ISUOG. He has also authored multiple textbook chapters in obstetrics and gynaecology, and wrote the ISUOG Fetal Cardiac Imaging Handbook, a freely downloadable resource produced as part of ISUOG's Every Little Heart Matters campaign.
Field: Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Specialties: Prenatal Diagnosis. First and Second Trimester Fetal anomaly screening. Aneuploidy screening and diagnosis. NIPT and prenatal Exome sequencing. Maternal and Fetal Doppler Ultrasound. Invasive Prenatal Procedures. Ultrasound and Infertility. Tubal Patency Testing.
Languages: English
Executive Committee, Finance & Risk Committee, Nominations Committee, China Task Force, UOG Editorial Board
Professor Liona Poon is an Academic Subspecialist in Maternal Fetal Medicine, devoted in improving maternal and fetal health. She has had a prolific research output throughout her clinical and research posts, including over 130 peer-reviewed publications in high impact international journals. In the last 10 years she has focused her research on establishing a programme for effective early prediction and prevention of preeclampsia, a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. With her success in developing a first-trimester prediction model for preeclampsia using maternal risk factors, ultrasound, blood pressure and biochemical markers, and on Aspirin prophylaxis against preeclampsia, her goal in the next 10 years is to improve obstetric care worldwide, through clinical research and education.
Notable Publications:
Aspire trial: incidence of preterm preeclampsia in patients fulfulling ACOG and NICE criteria according to risk by the FMF algorithm. Poon LC, Rolnik DL, Tan MY, Delgado JL, Tsokaki T, Akolekar R, Singh M, Andrade W, Efeturk T, Jani JC, Plasencia W, Papaioannou G, Blazquez AR, Carbone IF, Wright D, Nikolaides KH.
Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2018 Jan 30. doi: 10.1002/uog.19019 [Epub ahead of print]
Aspirin versus Placebo in Pregnancies at High Risk of Preterm Preeclampsia. Rolnik DL, Wright D, Poon LC, O'Gorman N, Syngelaki A, de Paco Matallana C, Akolekar R, Cicero S, Janga D, Singh M, Molina FS, Persico N, Jani JC, Plasencia W, Papaioannou G, Tennebaum Gavish K, Meiri H, Gizurarson S, Maclagan K, Nicolaides K.H.
New England Journal Medicine 2017, 2017 Jun 28. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1704559. [Epub ahead of print]
Country: China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Field: Obstetrics
Specialties: Fetal anomaly screening 1st trimester and 2nd trimester; fetal biometry and wellbeing; fetal anomalies screening; aneuploidy screening; fetal anomalies; fetal growth restriction; maternal and fetal Doppler; multiple pregnancy; preeclampsia; preterm delivery; fetal growth; detection of fetal and neonatal growth abnormalities; ultrasound on the labour ward
Languages: English; Chinese (Mandarin); Chinese (Cantonese)
Nominations Committee member
Prof. Angela Ranzini is a Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The MetroHealth System in Cleveland, Ohio, USA and Professor of Reproductive Biology at Case Western Reserve University. Her special interests include anomaly identification, prediction of prematurity, Twins, Teaching processes and Quality control. Angela completed her MD at Medical College of Virginia (VCU), her Ob/Gyn residency at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, NY and her Fellowship in Maternal Fetal Medicine at Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
Prof. Angela Ranzini is the Director of the Fetal Diagnostic Center at the MetroHealth System and the Program Director for the Maternal Fetal Medicine Fellowship at the MetroHealth/Case Western Reserve University joint fellowship with University Hospitals. She is a past Chair of the Education Committee and was the Project Lead for the Rwanda Outreach program and a member of the Sudan Outreach program. She has been involved in many Committees and Task Forces of ISUOG.
Field: Obstetrics; Imaging; Fetal Medicine
Specialties: Fetal anomaly screening; fetal biometry and wellbeing; aneuploidies; fetal anomalies; fetal growth restriction; maternal and fetal Doppler; multiple pregnancy.
Languages: English
Baylor College of Medicine, and Texas Children's Hospital Pavilion for Women, Houston, USA
Dr. Magdalena Sanz Cortes is a specialist in high-risk pregnancies with a subspecialty in fetal surgery including different conditions that can benefit from in utero therapies. She utilizes evidence-based practices, including the assessment, evaluation and treatment of pregnancies diagnosed with fetal spina bifida, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, twin anemia polycytemia sequence, selective fetal growth restriction, lower urinary tract obstruction, fetal anemia, among other conditions. She offers comprehensive care to patients with these conditions, from evaluation to delivery.
Dr. Magdalena Sanz Cortes also has wide experience in the evaluation and assessment of different fetal brain conditions and runs a neurosonology clinic at Texas Children's Hospital. Her role in this clinic includes the evaluation of the fetal brain by combining a unique transabdominal and transvaginal ultrasound approach, in order to have a three-dimensional evaluation of the fetal brain. She is able to identify subtle and complex conditions. At times, her neurosonology scan is the first step in the management and evaluation of pregnancies that require other specialists (radiology, pediatric neurology, genetics, or pediatric neurosurgery, etc.) and guide these families in this journey.
In addition to her clinical duties, she maintains an active research agenda and teaching schedule. Dr. Sanz Cortes is a world-renown lecturer and presenter in different international and national meetings on the field. She has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and has received multiple awards and distinctions. She is also a member of the editorial boards and scientific committees of some of the most prestigious journals and societies in her field.
Country: USA
Field: Obstetrics
Specialties: Fetal anomalies; fetal brain; fetal growth restriction; maternal and fetal Doppler; fetal therapy and intervention
Languages: English; Spanish
Local scientific advisers and faculty:
Advanced gynecologic surgeon and sonologist in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Hamilton Health Sciences
Dr Mathew Leonardi is an expert in complex gynecology, endometriosis excision surgery and gynaecological ultrasound (associate professor) at McMaster University Medical Centre in Hamilton, Canada. He is an honorary adjunct lecturer at the University of Adelaide. His philosophy of care includes working in an interdisciplinary team and patient-centred decision making. He has been awarded his PhD from the University of Sydney which is focused on the utility of ultrasound in the diagnosis and surgical management of endometriosis.
Dr Leonardi is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in his field. He has published over 120 peer-reviewed scientific articles, several textbook chapters, and presented at numerous international congresses on endometriosis. He has received numerous awards for his conference presentations on endometriosis. He is an avid researcher, actively contributing academically to the advancement of gynecologic health.
Dr Leonardi is on the World Endometriosis Society Early Career Board and a founding member of the Next Generation Committee at the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. He is an Associate Editor for Reproduction & Fertility and on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology, Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Canada. He is part of an international research group named Imagendo, which won the most prestigious science award in Australia, the 2023 ANSTO Eureka Prize for Innovative Use of Technology.
Professor of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada